Sermons, ramblings, and maybe an occasional rant from a Lutheran subject of Jesus Christ.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Sermon -- 5th Sunday of Easter (May 3, 2015)

ACTS 13:44-52

THE WORD GIVES LIGHT

TO THE WORLD.

Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Cong: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In
the name + of Jesus.

Paul and Barnabas always made their first stop in the synagogue whenever
they came to a new town. That’s where
Moses and the Prophets were read every Sabbath.
The people there were familiar with the promises of God. Paul and Barnabas went there to declare that the
Law and the Prophets and all the promises of God were fulfilled by Jesus of
Nazareth. God’s salvation had come
through Jesus Christ. He is the glory of
Israel
and a light to lighten the Gentiles. The
word gives light to the world.

The problems arose when the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the
word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with
jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. (Acts
13:44-45) For whatever reason, the people from the
synagogue believed that God’s salvation was just for them. They
were God’s chose people, suggesting that God had neither room nor love for
others. While it is true that the Jews
were God’s chosen people, they were chosen so that the salvation of the world
would come through them, not so that salvation came exclusively to them. St. Paul reminded them of
God’s clear word on this: For so the Lord
has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you
may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 13:47) For God so loved
the world, not a few. Jesus always came
to be the Savior of the nations, not the Savior of one nation. The word gives light to the world.

Like the Jews in
that synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, we may also tend to think that we have a
greater right to salvation than others do.
When we consider the behavior of others, we commend ourselves for being
better—assuming that our actions have won for us special favor in God’s sight. But here is the scandal of Jesus
Christ—salvation is by grace. That means
it is all God’s doing from beginning to end.

You are no more
worthy of God’s favor than an ISIS militant, whose zeal for his religion—though
misguided—is undeniable. You are no
better than an addict or an agnostic.
For, this is what the Lord says: “There
is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
(Romans 3:22,23) Now, you may
object, saying, “I am better than ISIS; I don’t kill people. I am better than an addict; I don’t rob
people for my next fix. I am better than
agnostic; I am in church.” Your sins
may not be as personally destructive as the sins if ISIS
militants or crack addicts, but you still have sins, and they are all
damnable.

In our Gospel,
Jesus tells us that the mark that should distinguish us as being different from
the rest of the world is that we love one another. But we demonstrate that we do not love as we
ought. We do not have mercy on other
sinners, but would prefer that we remain “we” and they remain “they”. We are like the people of the synagogue who
looked at the Gentiles and wondered, “What are they doing here?!” To insist
that we are better is to insist that we deserve better and that we have done more
to earn our place in God’s kingdom. We
do not want God to be gracious; we want him to reward us for being who we
are. That is precisely what Paul and
Barnabas witnessed in the synagogue—people who believed that salvation was
limited to “us” and that God should not save “them.” Repent.

Jesus declared: “A new commandment
I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also
are to love one another. By this all
people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:34-35)

But the word
“love” has been badly misused, therefore, we need to define it. First, to say what love is not: Love is not
simply giving people want they want to make them happy. That kind of love encourages husbands and
wives to abandon their marriages for someone better. It tells us to have no real commitment to
anyone, because as soon as someone makes you unhappy or hurts your feeling, you
have to move on.

To know what
love is, we look to God; for God is love.
God’s love has been made most vivid by Jesus. Jesus’ love was not reserved for those
considered worthy. Jesus knew that there
would be many who would despise him and reject him. Jesus also knew that many would use his
amazing love to defend their sins and their refusal to repent of them. It did not matter. Jesus came to do what love demands—to seek
the eternal well-being of all people.
For God so loved the world, not a few.

Jesus’
sacrificial love sought the well-being of sinners, not because any deserve it,
but because God is love and seeks your good.
He seeks the good of all. Your
sins are evil and they are damnable.
Therefore, Jesus suffered for you.
He suffered torment and wrath and pain and death and hell. He endured this for you, because this is what
love demanded in order for you to be forgiven and saved. This is how God has shown his love to you—by
the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ on behalf of all sinners. The word brings light to the world.

Your salvation
is yours by grace. Jesus did all the
work from beginning to end, so you have no reason to boast that you are better
than anyone. And your salvation remains
yours as God works in you and sustains you in the true faith through the word
and sacraments. In this way, he
preserves you from going back to your sins and fills you with a love for what
is good and for doing what is beneficial for your neighbor. Your salvation is all God’s doing from
beginning to end. You did nothing to
deserve it; but Jesus Christ did everything to secure it for you. This is the light that God has shone on you,
and it is the word that we preach to the world.

And now we love
because he first loved us. This love first honors God and his word. That is where we learn what is good and what
is evil. Love, then, always seeks the
good of someone else. Love will never
encourage or condone sin. We must call
it what it is because it is damnable and brings death. It is not love to willingly let people suffer
these. Love proclaims the truth and will
even suffer for what is good rather than abandon it. We are to love one another, knowing that our
love may be abused, rejected, or scorned.
For loving God’s word and standing firm in it, we may even be told that
we are evil and hateful. But we will
love anyway so that God’s love is seen in both our words and our deeds. We want the word to give light to the world. Those who love their sins or who love
themselves may never repent. But as many
as are appointed to eternal life, God will gather into his kingdom.

The word brings
light to the world. This salvation is
not intended for a few, but for all.
Paul and Barnabas were eventually driven out of town for preaching such
a lavish grace and such a generous salvation.
They were slandered and finally exiled. Nevertheless, the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy
Spirit. (Acts 13:52) Though the mighty and influential made their
power known by driving out Paul and Barnabas, God’s love made its power known
by gathering his elect to his Church. Not even persecution or threats
could diminish the joy of Christ’s salvation.

It is no
different for you. Your joy is not based
on popular opinions; your joy comes from knowing that Jesus Christ has given
you a place in his kingdom. Your
salvation does not come by how much or how well you love others; it comes by
God’s grace through Jesus Christ who loved you perfectly. Therefore, your salvation is sure. Nevertheless, we will speak and act in love
to all. The light of Christ shines on us,
and the light of Christ shall shine through us to beckon others to Christ’s
salvation. This is how it must be; for
nothing can suppress our joy.

In the name of the Father and of the Son +
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.